Category: Art, Fashion and Material Culture

Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Victorian

From Parliament to Fancy Dress: the life story of an MP’s court dress

In this guest blog, originally posted on the Victorian Commons blog page, Henrietta Lockhart, Curator of Museum Collections at Winterbourne House and Garden, at the University of Birmingham, tells the story of a unique piece of costume once owned and worn by the 19th century MP, Edward Strutt (1801-80). At Winterbourne House and Garden in Edgbaston, Birmingham, visitors can now enjoy a striking exhibit: the court dress … Continue reading From Parliament to Fancy Dress: the life story of an MP’s court dress

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Elections, Factions, Georgian

‘True Blue’: the choice of political colours in the 18th century

In British politics, we are now used to the idea of certain parties (or causes) being associated with particular colours. The Conservative party is blue; Labour red; the Greens are green. In the 18th century such notions were by no means fixed and on occasion groups made a point of appropriating their opponents’ colours as Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our Lords 1715-1790 project, explains. There are … Continue reading ‘True Blue’: the choice of political colours in the 18th century

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Georgian, Local History, Social history

Tackling congestion in 18th-century London

In the course of the 18th century, Britain’s towns became increasingly congested with private carriages as well as a variety of carts, drays and hackney coaches going about their business. For pedestrians it could make negotiating the streets a nightmare. For members of Parliament, keeping the ways around Westminster unclogged proved an uphill battle. In this latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles … Continue reading Tackling congestion in 18th-century London

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Local History, Military history

Hogarth in Derby

From 10 March to 4 June 2023 Derby Museum and Art Gallery hosted an exhibition Hogarth’s Britons. Succession, Patriotism and the Jacobite Rebellion. Dr Stuart Handley reports back on a rich exhibition detailing Derby’s connexion to a pivotal moment in 18th-century British history. Derby has many claims to be a quintessential 18th-century town – at least when it comes to History. It claims the first … Continue reading Hogarth in Derby

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Elections, Factions, Georgian, History of Parliament Trust, Parties, Social history, Women and Parliament

‘Buff and Blue’: dance and factional politics in London’s West End, 1780-89

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Hillary Burlock of Newcastle University. On 29 November, between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Hillary will discuss the connections between dance and factional politics in London’s West End, 1780-89. The seminar takes place on 29 November 2022, between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. You can attend online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion are … Continue reading ‘Buff and Blue’: dance and factional politics in London’s West End, 1780-89

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Speakers of the House

Heraldry, Pomp and Power: The Use of Parliamentary Symbols on Coats of Arms, c.1527-2006

Ahead of next Tuesday’s hybrid Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Duncan Sutherland. On 15 November, between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Duncan will discuss the longstanding connection between Parliament and heraldry from the 16th century to the modern day. Continue reading Heraldry, Pomp and Power: The Use of Parliamentary Symbols on Coats of Arms, c.1527-2006

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Georgian, Stuart

Portraits, patrons, and political networks in late Stuart and early Georgian England

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Amy Lim of St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford. On 8 March 2022, between 5.15 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Amy will be discussing her research on portraits, patrons, and political networks in late Stuart and early Georgian England. Ahead of the session, read about Amy’s research in this short paper. Details … Continue reading Portraits, patrons, and political networks in late Stuart and early Georgian England

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Elections, Georgian, Georgian Lords, Health and Medicine, Local History, Slavery, Social history

Conference Report: Bath 250

On 29 and 30 September the opening of Bath’s historic (Upper) Assembly Rooms was marked with a conference over Zoom, followed by a live event in the Assembly Rooms where conference participants were able to experience a display of dances from the Ridotto, which had opened the Rooms precisely 250 years before in 1771. We welcome back one of the speakers, Jemima Hubberstey, a doctoral … Continue reading Conference Report: Bath 250

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Conferences, Seminars and Events, 19th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Elections, Electoral Reform, Scottish History, Social history, Victorian

Portraits, Plates and Pigs: Representations of National Leaders within the Material Culture of Scottish Radical Procession 1832-1884

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Sonny Angus, of the University of Edinburgh. On 18 May 2021, between 5.15 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Sonny will be responding to your questions about his pre-circulated paper on the material culture of Scottish radical politics, 1832-1884. Details of how to join the discussion are available here, or by contacting seminar@histparl.ac.uk. … Continue reading Portraits, Plates and Pigs: Representations of National Leaders within the Material Culture of Scottish Radical Procession 1832-1884

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Georgian, Local History, Military history, Scottish History

A Farewell to Arms, Kilts and Sporrans: banning Scottish Highland dress in the aftermath of Culloden

Continuing with November’s local history look at the Scottish presence in Parliament, today Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our Lords 1715-1790 section, casts his eye over attempts to regulate traditional Scottish Highland dress in the eighteenth century. In the winter of 1745, the people of the north and midlands of England were gripped with panic. The rebel Jacobite army led by Charles Edward Stuart had left Scotland earlier in … Continue reading A Farewell to Arms, Kilts and Sporrans: banning Scottish Highland dress in the aftermath of Culloden

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